By Emma Coleman, Film & TV Subeditor
On Monday 4th May, the world’s most famous celebrities gathered in New York for the most iconic fashion event of the year: the Met Gala. Known for its avant-garde outfits and with a theme like ‘Fashion is Art’, I had very high expectations for some fabulous looks this year. And, for the most part, it did not disappoint. I could say a million things about the Met Gala, from the absolutely terrifying return to the 1990s heroin-chic look to Katy Perry’s rebellion against AI with her six finger gloves. Yet today I will keep it brief with my favourite looks, what underwhelmed and what made my jaw drop.
Let’s start off with Anna Wintour, the long-standing Editor-in-Chief of Vogue who holds complete control over the guest list. The difference this year? She has now been superseded by Chloe Malle. Nonetheless, Wintour wore a gorgeous turquoise Chanel dress adorned with feathers, giving her a classy, 1920s vibe. A completely unsurprising choice in comparison to her past looks yet slightly shocking when considering it is an almost identical dress to the pink one she wore in 2019. Views are split on this, but I am firmly on the side of she’s Anna-bloody-Wintour and she sets the trends, not follows them. If I deeply tap into my English-degree brain I would say something along the lines of her showing she has not changed even though her job title has, but this may be taking it a step too far.
Next, I bring you my top two looks of this year: Emma Chamberlain and Anok Yai. Chamberlain wears a custom Mugler designed by Miguel Catro Freitas, which was entirely hand painted in a reimagining of Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’. Not only does this fit the theme by being inspired by a famous painting, as were many of the looks this year, but the fact it was entirely hand painted takes it to another level. Yai wears Balenciaga to embody the Black Madonna figure seen in religious Renaissance paintings. Again, she and her stylists were dedicated to the craft. Entirely painted gold with a prosthetic wig, she truly stands out and becomes another living piece of art. Both these women looked phenomenal and truly stuck to the theme of ‘Fashion is Art’. My runners up would definitely be Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Sabrina Carpenter and SZA, also all on theme in gloriously unique ways.
I am always slightly more underwhelmed by the men’s looks at Met Galas as (this may show where my fashion knowledge becomes limited) they mostly seem to be a play off the basic tux. However, this year I have to give my first place to Bad Bunny just because of how much it shocked me. Dressed in Zara, Mike Marino transformed the icon into an old man through prosthetic makeup. At first, I didn’t even recognise him. Whilst this may be boarding on the line of the theme, after a deep dive I read about how the aging body is art and how it acts as a protest against the youth-orientated fashion industry. Very creative. My runners up would be Luke Evans, inspired by Tom of Finland’s hypermasculine paintings, and Jeremy Pope, in the Archival Vivienne Westwood torso jacket.
Unfortunately, I was slightly underwhelmed with Gigi Hadid’s look this year. Sheer is very on trend and aligns with the artistic looks this year but, to be honest, I just felt that it was far too simple with such an opportunistic theme. The Miu Miu look was fascinatingly built onto her body mere days before the show, making it quite a rushed job. Whilst Hadid herself said “I think the most special moments come when you have to rush it a little bit” and emphasising that her body became the canvas (I do love this concept). However, it did still feel greatly overshadowed by some of the more original and out-there looks.
On that note, Heidi Klum is one of my favourite celebrities to look out for with her very out there looks. For Halloween she has previously dressed as an entirely green Medusa and a literal worm before. So it was unsurprising how much dedication she showed to the Met Gala theme this year. Klum was transformed into a living sculpture inspired by the nineteenth-century Veiled Vestal. It was truly insane to the point in some photos she genuinely looks like part of the decoration, the wrinkling of the dress and the way she positioned her hands just made it so realistic.
Alex Boersma
Overall, 2026 was an amazing year for Met Gala fashion where everyone seemed truly determined to be on theme. I do believe that fashion is an artform, as one of the greatest forms of self-expression, and the unique way each individual took the theme truly adheres to this. I cannot wait for the first Monday of May next year, let’s start the countdown!
Featured Image: Unsplash
What did you think of the Met Gala fashion?
